


Lost

by 4SetsOfCorsets



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Child Neglect, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mild Language, Post-Canon, Psychological Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-03-12 08:04:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13543191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4SetsOfCorsets/pseuds/4SetsOfCorsets
Summary: After being defeated by the Cup brothers, King Dice's relationship with his boss takes a dark turn. He runs away from Inkwell Hell, but will the townspeople be willing to help him?





	1. The Escape

_Good-for-nothing lackey…._

The phrase repeated itself in the king’s mind, loud and clear as if the devil was right there speaking to him. It stung like nothing he’d ever felt before. Sure, his parents hadn’t been much nicer, but at least he expected it from them. The devil on the other hand, was another story. Dice had trusted him. He thought he cared about him. He had been blinded by his false kindness. He sighed and stood up, looking at his scars in the mirror. Long scratches traced his back from his left shoulder to his right hip, a constant reminder of who he works for, a reminder of who owns him. Bite marks could be seen on his left shoulder and right forearm, and he was covered in bruises and burns. His light purple skin had been stained red, and he still had a crack just above his left eye and was missing a tooth from his fight with the cup brothers. He shook his head and got dressed, hoping no one would comment on it. He made his way out of the staff rooms and approached the two talking at the bar. “Evening, Chips, Martini.”

Chips smiled as he saw who was speaking. “Well speak of the devil! Howdy boss!”

Martini let out a soft giggle at her boss’ appearance. “Your tie is crooked,” she pointed out, gesturing for the die to come closer so she could fix it. “There, that’s better.”

“Thanks,” was all he said in response.

“Say, how’re ya feelin’? You took quite a beating the other day.” Chips’ smile faded into a more worried expression.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, Chips,” Dice answered with a slight hint of agitation in his voice.

The younger man sighed and looked away. “Alright… I’m just worried ‘bout ya is all.”

“Well, you haven’t eaten yet today, have you?” Martini asked in an attempt to break the tension. “How about I make you somethin’? I’m sure you must be hungry!”

Dice shrugged. “Not really…”

“Wha- how?! You went over twenty-four hours with no food and you’re not hungry in the slightest?!”

He wasn’t sure how to respond. He was just so used to not eating much that he forgot his habit wasn’t normal, nor was it healthy. He was fully aware of how dangerously underweight he was-he’d even passed out once or twice because of it-but he just didn’t care. After all, death was a welcomed fate at this point.

“Alright, but tomorrow you’re joining us at breakfast,” Chips said as he got up to leave.

Dice nodded. “Okay…”

Martini sighed as a patron sat down at the bar; her cue to get back to work. “I just don’t want to see you getting sick, Boss.”

“I’ll be fine, Martini,” he said and looked away. “Don’t worry about me.”

Just then, the Devil’s door swung open. His eyes were pure white, teeth barred in rage. “DICE! OFFICE! NOW!”

The die flinched at the sound of the Devil’s voice. “Y-Yes, boss,” he responded, getting up and performing a silent prayer while his boss wasn’t looking. “Is… is there a problem, sir?”

The demon’s tail flicked from side to side impatiently. “Care to explain why I’m receiving reports of you suddenly gaining an attitude?”

“Would you mind elaborating on that, Boss?”

“You wouldn’t let anyone come near you for a week! You backtalk the imps, insult me, and refuse to repeat yourself when someone can’t understand your fucking mumbling!”

“Sorry, boss.”

“Come here. Now,” The Devil growled.

Dice just stood there for a moment. He knew exactly what this meant. “Boss, I-… I’m sorry, okay?!”

“NOW!”

The die jumped and approached his boss, shaking in fear. He turned around and clenched his fists, bracing himself for what was about to happen. Before he could even realize his punishment had started, his entire body felt like he was on fire. He tried to scream as the Devil’s claws slowly traced the previous marks on his back, but nothing happened. His breath hitched in his throat, making him gag and choke on his own voice. Once the demon removed his hand, Dice collapsed on the floor, blood dripping from his wounds as he just sat there, silently sobbing to himself.

“Remember this, brat. ‘King Dice’ isn’t you, it’s just your title. You are and always will be Reyes Dadu, and nothing more. Face it, you were fated from birth to be worthless,” the Devil said with a grin. “I knew you were an idiot, but this? This is just pathetic.”

Dice remained silent.

“What? Got nothing, eh? No arguments, no witty comebacks?” The demon laughed. “What a shame. Well, I suppose we’re done then.” He snapped his fingers, summoning two imps. “Take Dice here up to his room, will ya?”

“Yes sir!” One of them responded as they took Dice by his arms and led him upstairs to the staff area and into his bedroom.

The ‘king’ yelped in pain as they threw him onto the floor before leaving and locking the door behind them. Once they were gone he quickly gathered some clothes into a bag and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had to get out. He had to escape. Unlike anyone else in the casino, Dice still had his soul. He could leave easily, all he had to do was sneak outside without the Devil catching him. He took a moment to look around for an alternate exit; the window. It was a pretty long drop, but if it meant freedom, he was willing to take the chance. He dropped the bag out first before climbing out himself. He didn’t stop to check if anyone saw him; he just ran. Immediately people were staring, but he didn’t care. Wanting to get as far from the casino as possible, he eventually found himself in the forest of Isle I. It was starting to get dark out by then, and he was starting to regret his decision. He was cold, hungry, tired, and had nowhere to go. “S-Shit… What was I thinking?” He fell to his knees and held the bag to his chest like a baby, tears rolling down his face. His vision was blurred and he struggled to breathe.

 

 

_Then it all stopped…_


	2. Petals and Teacups

“Sir? Are you okay?”

“W-Wha?” Dice rubbed his eyes and sat up before looking over to whoever was speaking. “Cagney?”

The flower let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re awake! I thought you were dead!”

Only then did Dice notice the bandages around his torso. “You… helped me?”

Cagney nodded. “I couldn’t just leave you! Those wounds looked pretty bad, and even if you did talk me out of my soul, I don’t think you deserve to die!”

Dice looked away, silent.

“Listen, you don’t need to talk to me if you don’t want to, but I am awfully curious as to what happened.”

No response.

“Why don’t you stay with me until you’re feeling better? It’d sure be better than sleeping out here in the dirt.”

“Thank you, Cagney, but I’ll be fine on my own,” Dice replied as he stood up.

“If you insist. Be careful,” Cagney said, watching the other walk away.

 

* * *

 

“C-Cups! Slow down!” Mugman called out to his brother who had run off ahead of him. “Elder Kettle told us to stay together, remember?!”

Cuphead laughed and kept running. “Maybe if you’d move faster it wouldn’t be a prob-…..” He stopped, causing Mug to run into him.

“Ow! What is-“

“Quiet, Mugs,” Cup whispered and pointed to something.

“What is it?” Mugs asked, turning his head to where his brother was pointing. Just a few yards ahead, sitting at the edge of the forest, was King Dice, clothes torn and stained with blood and dirt. “M-Mr Dice? What is he doing here?”

“I dunno, but I’m gonna go find out!” Cups replied as he ran over to the ‘king’.

“Goodness, Cuphead, no!” Mugs yelled as he ran after Cuphead.

“Hey Mister King Dice!”

“Hmm?” Dice turned to the boys. “What do you want?”

“What happened? You look awful!”

“Cuphead, that’s mean!” Mugs mumbled, hiding behind his brother.

Dice rolled his eyes and looked away. “’S none of your business, brat.”

“But I’m curious!”

“I don’t care. Leave me alone.”

“C-Cups, we should go,” Mugman said as he tried to pull Cuphead away.

“No, Mug! I’m not going anywhere until I know what happened!” Cups pulled his arm away, making Mug stumble backwards a bit.

“Fine! You wanna know so badly, then here’s what happened! Since you two left, the Devil hasn’t been actin’ like himself! He’s more violent nowadays, and I got sick of putting up with his shit, so I left! Happy now?!” Dice glared up at Cuphead, wincing as he accidentally tugged at his scars.

“So, he did this to you? Gosh, I’m sorry. Hey! You should come with us! I’m sure Elder Kettle would be more than happy to help you!” Cuphead offered, his eyes lit up with excitement.

Dice thought about it for a moment. He had only met the man once, but he knew for a fact Kettle was the kindest and most generous person in all of Inkwell, and it would be a shame to not take advantage of that. “Yeah, alright.”

Cup smiled and helped Dice up before leading him to their house. Once there, he told Dice to wait on the porch with Mugman while he went inside to talk to Elder Kettle.

The mug had stayed quiet the whole time-or at least until Dice addressed him. “Say, kid, you’ve been awfully quiet. Somethin’ on your mind?”

“N-No.”

“Is there a problem?”

No response.

“Is it me?”

Still nothing.

“Hah, you don’t trust me, do you?” Dice asked with a laugh.

“N-Not really…”

“Hey, I don’t blame you,” he started. “I wouldn’t either.”

It wasn’t long before Cuphead came outside, looking down at his feet as he spoke. “He said you can stay, but only for tonight.”

“Well, that’s better than nothing,” Dice responded and looked at the golden crown pin on his jacket.

Mugman sighed and turned to head inside. “Let’s go, then.”

Dice nodded and followed Mugs.

Once inside, Kettle looked over to Dice with a smile, though his eyes showed he was furious. “There you are. Why not have a seat?” He pointed to the couch and stood up, hobbling into the kitchen.

Dice sat down and leaned back, sitting up again when the pressure on his back sent a jolt of pain through his body.

Elder Kettle soon returned with three glasses of what appeared to be tea of some kind. Dice thanked him and took one, only realizing now how thirsty he was. The rest of the night consisted of the boys asking questions about Dice and how he started working for the Devil, none of which he was willing to answer. Eventually, Kettle caught on to the die’s discomfort, and told the boys to go upstairs and go to bed before heading to sleep himself. He had offered to let Dice sleep in the guest room, which he happily accepted.

When Dice woke up, Cuphead and Mugman were already gone, probably off to school. They were only thirteen after all. He walked downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat before he leaves, and was greeted by Elder Kettle, who had already made breakfast for him. “Oh, um, thank you, sir.”

Kettle smiled. “It’s no problem at all, Mister Dice.” He sat down and opened a book as Dice ate his meal, before stopping to ask him something. “If I may, how exactly did you find my boys yesterday?”

Dice froze. “I didn’t. They found me.”

“Care to explain?”

“I guess I blacked out, cause when I woke up, Mister Carnation had found me and patched me up. Kind man, really. Even offered to let me stay with him. But of course, I didn’t want to be a bother, so I declined, and decided to take a walk to clear my head. Cuphead ran up to me and started askin’ all these questions ‘bout why I was outside the casino, and, well, you can probably figure out the rest.”

“I see. So you were injured? Why didn’t you just say so? If that’s the case, I’d be happy to let you stay here until you’ve healed!”

Dice looked away, but smiled. “That’d be nice. Thank you.”


	3. Past and Future

“Good evening, boys!” Elder Kettle said as Cup and Mug entered the house. Cup waved and sat down, though Mug said nothing and went straight upstairs to his room. “Mugman?”

“What’s his problem?” Dice mumbled and raised an eyebrow at the boy’s odd behavior.

“I dunno.” Cuphead shrugged. “He refused to talk on the way home.”

“Did somethin’ happen at school?”

“All I know is some girl was giving’ him issues. Called him a ‘faggot’ or somethin’.”

“Cuphead! We do not say that word in this household!” Kettle scolded.

“Why? Does it mean somethin’ bad?”

Dice sighed. “It’s an offensive word for someone who’s homosexual…”

Cuphead froze. “So, she was teasing’ him for being gay? That’s stupid! Why should she care who he likes?!”

“Because it’s considered a sin by most people. They think it’s a curse by the Devil.”

“But that’s ridiculous! So what if someone likes guys?! Other peoples lives should be none of your business!”

Dice stood up. “I’ll go talk to Mugman, see if I can get him to come down.”

Kettle nodded. “Okay.”

Cuphead mumbled something to himself.

Dice headed upstairs to Mugman’s room and knocked on the door. “Hey, kid? Can I come in?”

No response.

“C’mon, I know you’re in there.”

“Yeah, whatever, it’s unlocked.”

Dice walked in and closed the door behind him before going to sit on the bed next to Mugs, who was curled up under the blankets. “Cuphead told me what happened. You alright?”

“N-No…”

“Well, I hope ya know that girl’s an idiot for makin’ fun of someone like us.”

Mug wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at Dice. “U-Us?”

He nodded. “I know how ya feel, kid. I’ve been there.”

“Y-You’re g-gay?”

“Mhmm… Yet another reason for people to hate me, I guess…”

“W-What do you mean?”

Dice was silent for a moment, debating whether or not he trusted Mugman with the information he was about to give him. “I suppose now would be a good a time as any to tell ya how I started working for the Devil…”

Mugman’s eyes lit up and he sat up straight. “Really?!”

“Yup…”

“Yay! Tell me, tell me! What happened?!”

“Well, there was a time when I wasn’t the only die in Inkwell. We even had our own social system. The more sides you have, the higher your rank. My parents were both D20’s; the highest rank. When they had me, they immediately hated me ‘cause I was of the lowest class; the D6. I had to learn to take care of myself at a very young age, since no one else was willing to do it…”

“So, you were neglected?! That’s horrible!”

Dice nodded. “Eventually, I ran away and tried my luck at beggin’. It kinda worked, but it was barely enough to keep me alive, so I experimented with other ways to make money; scams an’ pickpockets. It was risky, but it paid well. I lived on the streets for about eight months or so before the Devil found me. He brought me back to Hell, and gave me food, shelter, clothes, anything I needed. I never went to school, so Rum had to teach me to read and write. Wheezy helped me with mathematics, and Martini taught me to cook.”

“H-How old were you at the time?”

Dice thought for a moment. “About eight or nine, I think. About the same time I realized I was into guys.”

“How did the others react when you told them?”

“Martini and Rum supported me, Whiskey didn’t car one way or the other, and Wheeze didn’t understand what being gay meant yet.”

“A-And the Devil?”

“He couldn’t have cared less. The patrons, however, made fun of me for it. Said the Devil was just usin’ some kinda mind tricks on me. It hurt. Made me feel like an idiot.”

Mugman sighed and looked away. “You felt like there was something wrong with you… didn’t you?”

Dice nodded.

“But you got past it… How?”

“I trusted my gut. I knew what I wanted, and went for it. I didn’t let their words get to me. I didn’t cry about it, didn’t complain, I just let them think what they wanted and moved on. Anyway, why don’t we go downstairs, kid? Mister Kettle’s worried ‘bout ya.”

Mug nodded and stood up, following Dice down to the living room. “I-I’m back…”

 

* * *

 

“Mango, we should just stop.” Chips looked down, fidgeting with his scarf. “He’s probably long gone by now.”

Mangosteen turned to look at him. “Chips, relax. We will find him.”

Chips sighed. “Look, I’m not doubting your ‘vision’ or whatever, but we’ve been looking for three hours, and I’m getting tired! Either we stop to take a break, or I’m turning back.”

“Fine, we’ll rest for a half hour, but no longer. Deal?”

“I’ll take about anything right now. Deal.”

Mangosteen rolled his eyes and leaned against a nearby lamp post, watching as Chips made his way to a nearby bench to sit down. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Hey, not everyone has to walk around eight hours a fucking day!”

“It’s not my fault you do nothing but laze around and drink yourself to death everyday!”

“Well maybe if you and Wheeze weren’t so fucking loud, I wouldn’t feel the need to!”

Mangosteen blushed at this. “Well… y-you….”

“Hah! You got nothin’, huh?!”

“S-Shut up…”

Chips just laughed.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“Heh, yup.”


	4. Hunted

Dice found himself on the front porch, staring off into the inky darkness of the forest. It was about three in the morning, and Kettle and the boys were still asleep. Dice, however, was beyond restless. He couldn't help but feel like something-or rather someone-was out to get him. Not that it was a surprise, of course. With everything that had happened this past week, being murdered was a likely occurrence.

And the thought terrified him.

Not because it was new, god no. Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill him; the die couldn't even begin to list how many brawls and knife fights he'd been dragged into over the years. Hell, he'd even been held at gunpoint once or twice, but he wasn't afraid then. Then, he knew the Devil would defend him. Then, he was protected. But now? Now he was on   
his own. Now he was vulnerable. He just sat there for a while, until he heard footsteps approaching him in the dark. "H-Hello?" He called out with no response. "Who's there?!"

"Dice? 'S that you?" A familiar voice asked as Dice could just barely start to see who it was. The short, thin outline of Chips Bettigan could be seen against the lights of the other isles,   
followed by a much taller, rounder figure not far behind.

"Mango?! Chips?! What are you two doing here?!" The die stood and backed up slightly, unsure whether or not to trust his former coworkers.

"Reyes, relax. We're not going to hurt you." Mangosteen put his hands up to show he was unarmed. Chips just awkwardly looked down at the pocket knife in his hand and put it away.

"Why are you here?!" Dice was getting more and more anxious by the second. Chips and Mango exchanged looks and the cowboy sighed as he stepped forward.

"The boss wants ya back at the casino," he said in a voice that was almost too calm.

"No. NO! THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING BACK THERE!" Dice backed up a bit more, and he could see Mangosteen counting down on his hand. Afraid of what the much taller-and stronger-  
man might do, he ran back inside and yelled-no, screamed for the boys' help as Mangosteen pinned him to the ground. Sure enough, they came running at the sound of his voice,   
finger guns already in position and aiming at the other two casino workers. Dice scrambled to his feet and got behind the two, tears already falling from his eyes from both pain and   
fear.

"You two leave Mr Dice alone!" Mugman shouted in a tone Dice had never heard from him before. The kid was furious. He took a step closer to Chips, who glanced over to Mangosteen   
as if expecting him to help, but the eight ball was just as surprised as he was.

"You wanna hurt King, you gotta beat us first!"

Down the stairs came a confused and concerned Elder Kettle, who was undoubtedly woken up by Dice's cry. "What is going on here?!"

Chips was the first to speak. "M-Mr Elder Kettle, s-sir, if you'd kindly t-tell your boys to put the weapons away, I-I'm sure we can t-talk about this! T-This is all just a big mis-"

"Silence." The kettle's tone was soft and gentle, but still Chips shut up as if he'd been yelled at by an angry mother. "Mr Dice, Cuphead, Mugman, sit down. You two, what are your   
names?"

"My name is Mangosteen and this is-"

The cowboy interrupted him to introduce himself. "Bettigan. Chips Bettigan."

Kettle nodded and motioned for the two to sit down as well. "Well then, Mr Bettigan, since you seem so eager to speak, why don't you explain to me why you're here."

"Yes sir," he smiled as he took a seat. Meanwhile, Mango found himself awkwardly sitting on the floor next to Chips seeing as there were no seats left. "Ya see, Rey here is quite missed   
back at the casino. No one's quite sure why he left, and the boss is just looking for answers."

"We don't know that," Mangosteen put a hand on Chip's shoulder to signal him to be quiet. "All we know is Reyes ran off and now the boss is lookin' for him. We assume it's for a   
reason behind his sudden disappearance-"

"Sudden disappearance?!" Dice stood up, his eyes glowing with rage. "HE NEARLY KILLED ME! JUST ABOUT SLICED ME IN HALF! IF YOU TAKE ME BACK THERE, I'LL BE DEAD BEFORE   
ANYONE EVEN KNOWS I'M THERE!"

Elder Kettle sighed and extended an arm out in front of Dice to stop him from attacking the two men. "Dice, please calm down. We need to hear their side of the story."

Dice huffed and sat back down on the couch.

Mangosteen continued. "If the boss did hurt you back there, I'm very sorry. But if we don't follow through with his orders-"

"He'll have our heads for it!" Chips brought a hand to his chin, which Dice only now realized had a small cut.

Dice let out a soft sigh when he saw the fear in the cowboy's eyes. "Chips, I… I'm sorry… both of you… I-I shouldn't have snapped, it's just… I dunno…"

Chips looked down so his hat covered his eyes and smiled. "It's fine, Rey. You're stressed, I get it. We all are. With everything that's happened lately, I'm surprised some of us are even alive."

Mango nodded. "He's right. I mean, Dean hasn't slept the past three days. Phear's been havin' a hard time focusing on races. Hell, even my visions are being affected by it."

"Don't forget Whiskey," Chips added. "Some guy tried to beat 'im up 'cause he messed up an order. Would've succeeded had Wheeze not gotten involved."

"We need you, Reyes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, going through writer's block.


End file.
